‘Messi On The Same Level As Maradona’ —Capello

Legendary Italian coach Fabio Capello says Lionel Messi was already on the level of Diego Maradona before leading Argentina to the Qatar 2022 World Cup title.

Messi eventually got his hands on football most prestigious trophy after leading Argentina to a third World Cup title.

The former Barcelona star bagged a brace against France in the final which ended 3-3 before Argentina triumphed 4-2 on penalties to land a first world title since 1986.

There have always been the debate about whether Messi has gotten to the level of the late Argentine icon.

Also Read: ‘I Thought England Would Win The World Cup’ –Maddison

But Capello believes Messi had already gotten to the level of the 1986 World Cup winning captain even before the tournament in Qatar.

“To me, he was on the same level even before the World Cup. Pelé, Messi and Maradona did things that others couldn’t even imagine,” Capello was quoted on Football Italia.

Capello commented on Karim Benzema not being picked for the final against Argentina following reports that he had recovered from injury.

Asked if Didier Deschamps wrong not to include Karim Benzema in the team for the Final:“No, I did the same with Savicevic before the Intercontinental Cup Final in 1993,” said Capello.

“On the morning of the game, he told me that he was ready to play after I had prepared everything with Raducioiu. Out of respect, I didn’t let him play. I thought it was a fair decision for the team. Now the question remains: would Milan and France have won one more trophy with Savicevic and Benzema? Perhaps, yes.”